Health Benefits of Hiking Portales NM

Want to lose weight and get into shape? Don't diet, hike it. Cheaper than a health club, more accessible than a swimming pool, easier than riding a bike, less time-consuming than weight training and more stimulating than an hour on a treadmill, hiking is the number one way to get healthy-and stay that way. Want to lose weight and get into shape? Hiking is the number one way to get healthy. A camping vacation is an additional way to make it fun.

Health Benefits of Hiking

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Why Not Go Hiking to Lose Weight and Stay in Shape?

A Step in the Right Direction By Gwyn Fletcher

Want to lose weight and get into shape? Don't diet, hike it. Cheaper than a health club, more accessible than a swimming pool, easier than riding a bike, less time-consuming than weight training and more stimulating than an hour on a treadmill, hiking is the number one way to get healthy-and stay that way. As the fitness craze continues to gain steam, it's not surprising that hiking is the fastest growing outdoor activity. According to the Sporting Goods Manufacturing Association Sports & Fitness Participation Report (2009), Americans remain very interested in outdoor sports in spite of economic woes. Leading outdoor activities are freshwater fishing (40.3 million), bicycling (38.1 million), camping (33.7 million), and day hiking (32.5 million).

Why is hiking winning the outdoor popularity contest? For starters, it's dirt cheap-literally. All you need is some ground to walk on and a sturdy pair of shoes that will support your ankles and serve as shock absorbers. Whether it's on a neighborhood trail or a mountain ridge, hiking is merely taking a walk on a foot path, and even that is open to your own interpretation. Unlike health clubs and private gyms, hiking requires no membership dues or monthly payments-you can even bring a friend along without purchasing a guest pass. And you don't have to go back to the same area every time, or pay a transfer fee if you want to try someplace new.

Hiking is also an accessible activity. For example, swimming is an excellent form of exercise, but it's pretty hard to do without a large body of water. And, once the temperature starts to drop, that swimming hole needs to be indoors, often bringing the cost up and the convenience level down even further. To go for a hike, the only place you need to get to is outdoors. Hiking is usually as close as a local park.

Just as you don't need any special equipment for hiking, you also don't need any special skills. Just put one foot in front of the other. As with any physical activity, if you're not currently following a regular fitness routine, you'll want to start out slow, taking leisurely strolls three or four times a week and gradually building your distance and rate. Your first step should always be a quick muscle stretch.

"Things will slow down next month, then I'll have time to get in shape." How many times have you heard that one, or said it yourself? Chances are, things aren't going to slow down. And the older we get, the higher our risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, and other complications directly or indirectly linked to a lack of physical activity. It takes time to get in shape. In order to gain maximum benefits from a weight training program, you need to spend several hours a week pressing those bars and priming those muscles. Aerobics classes often last up to an hour as well. Unfortunately, time isn't something...